Helen Forrester
Encyclopedia
Helen Forrester, whose real name was June Bhatia (6 June 1919 – 24 November 2011) was an English author known for her books about her early childhood in Liverpool
during the Great Depression
as well as several works of fiction.
Forrester was born in Hoylake
, in Cheshire
, which is now in Merseyside
. Throughout her teenage years, she worked for a charitable organisation in Liverpool and Bootle
, which provided background for her novels Liverpool Daisy, A Cuppa Tea and an Aspirin, and Three Women of Liverpool. In 1950, she married Dr. Avadh Bhatia, and her life with him in India provided background for Thursday's Child and The Moneylenders of Shahpur. In 1953 the two moved to Edmonton
, Canada where Dr. Bhatia became director of the Theoretical Physics Institute at the University of Alberta. He was a pioneer in electronic transport theory and the study of diffraction of light by ultrasonic waves.
Living in Alberta provided background for her novels The Latchkey Kid and The Lemon Tree. Yes Mama, which takes place mostly in late 19th and early 20th century Liverpool, also includes a section about Alberta. She died on 24 November 2011 in Edmonton, Alberta.
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
as well as several works of fiction.
Forrester was born in Hoylake
Hoylake
Hoylake is a seaside town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, on Merseyside, England. It is located at the north western corner of the Wirral Peninsula, near to the town of West Kirby and where the River Dee estuary meets the Irish Sea...
, in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, which is now in Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
. Throughout her teenage years, she worked for a charitable organisation in Liverpool and Bootle
Bootle
Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England, and a 'Post town' in the L postcode area. Formally known as Bootle-cum-Linacre, the town is 4 miles to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640.Historically part of...
, which provided background for her novels Liverpool Daisy, A Cuppa Tea and an Aspirin, and Three Women of Liverpool. In 1950, she married Dr. Avadh Bhatia, and her life with him in India provided background for Thursday's Child and The Moneylenders of Shahpur. In 1953 the two moved to Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Canada where Dr. Bhatia became director of the Theoretical Physics Institute at the University of Alberta. He was a pioneer in electronic transport theory and the study of diffraction of light by ultrasonic waves.
Living in Alberta provided background for her novels The Latchkey Kid and The Lemon Tree. Yes Mama, which takes place mostly in late 19th and early 20th century Liverpool, also includes a section about Alberta. She died on 24 November 2011 in Edmonton, Alberta.
Autobiographical works
- Twopence to Cross The Mersey (1974) ISBN 0-00-636168-4
- Liverpool Miss (originally published as Minerva's Stepchild) (1979) ISBN 0-00-636494-2
- By the Waters of Liverpool (1981) ISBN 0-00-636540-X
- Lime Street at Two (1985) ISBN 0-00-637000-4
Fiction
- Liverpool Daisy (1979) ISBN 0-00-616901-5
- Three Women of Liverpool (1984) ISBN 0-00-617011-0
- The Latchkey Kid (1985) ISBN 0-00-617246-6
- Thursday's Child (1985) ISBN 0-00-617244-X
- The Moneylenders of Shahpur (1987) ISBN 0-00-617354-3
- Yes, Mama (1988) ISBN 0-00-617470-1
- The Lemon Tree (1990) ISBN 0-00-617748-4
- The Liverpool BasqueBasque peopleThe Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
(1993) ISBN 0-00-647334-2 - Mourning Doves (1996) ISBN 0-00-649874-4
- Madame Barbara (1999) ISBN 0-00-651348-4
- A Cuppa Tea and an Asprin (2003) ISBN 0-00-715694-4
External links
- Helen Forrester at Fantastic Fiction
- Helen Forrester discusses the musical adaptation of Twopence to Cross the Mersey at bbc.co.ukBbc.co.ukBBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...